The Barson Daily Prompts
by khughes830
Summary: Prompts from The Barson Daily on Tumblr - 300 words or less drabbles about Liv and Barba.
1. Trapped in Chicago

Prompt for The Barson Daily on Tumblr - photograph (week of May 1)

* * *

He blew through the door, the anger rolling off of him, his phone gripped in his hand so hard she thought he would break it into pieces.

"Barba…" Rita said, walking up next to him. He looked at her with wild eyes. "Whoa. What's wrong?"

"I'm stuck at this waste of time conference, in this god forsaken town…"

"Barba, it's Chicago."

"… and THIS…" he said, holding out his phone. Rita took it from him and looked at what he had most recently been looking at. It was a picture of Liv and Noah and Rollins and her daughter. On some hack website. Oh God.

"I need to go. I have to go" he said, grabbing his phone back from her hand.

"And do what? You know there are other capable ADA's in Manhattan, right?"

"You don't understand, Rita. I have to…" She placed her hand on his arm, stilling him. "Barba, I get it. I do. I swear I do. I mean, I have eyes." He sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Have you talked to her?"

"Text because this Podunk town has the worst service."

"Again, Chicago."

"She said Lucy took Noah and Jesse to Jersey for a few days, but…" Rita nodded.

"We leave in a couple of days and if they need you back they will call." Barba sighed.

"I know. But I swear, Rita, I'm going to burn this asshole to the ground when I get back to New York. Don't get in my way."

"Wouldn't dream of it" she replied, making a mental note of this guy. Fighting him on a normal day was one thing. Fighting him when he was protecting Olivia – well, she knew a suicide mission when she saw one.


	2. On Leave

Someone replied to my other drabble on Tumblr about maybe Barba was on suspension and that's why he wasn't in this ep. That's there this comes from.

* * *

There was fire in his eyes as he reached for the door, but he felt a hand on his arm before he got the chance to open it.

"Let me go Carisi" he growled out.

"Counselor…"

"I'm serious Carisi. I need to get in there." Carisi stepped in front of him. "No. No you don't."

"Yes I do. I am NOT going to sit on the sidelines while this asshole thinks it's ok to post pictures of Liv, Noah, Rollins and Jesse. I'm going to destroy him."

"You can't!" Carisi yelled back at him. Barba froze. "I think you have forgotten who I am, amigo."

"You are Rafael Barba, currently serving a suspension and if he goes anywhere near this case he will taint it because he's not supposed to be working at all right now." Barba let out the breath he had been holding. He shoved his glasses up on his face. "Carisi… I have to…"

"Barba, you need to go home. That's what she needs from you. She is so keyed up and on the war path. I'm not sure you could do anything more than what she is already doing. She's going to nail this guy's ass to the wall. She will make you proud."

"She always does" he replied softly. "I also may have emailed my fill in with a… few… ideas." Carisi laughed. "Yeah, sounded like she was reading from notes." Barba sighed. "Barba, if the DA catches wind…"

"I know" he said, looking up at the building. "Ok. You're right and make a note of that cause I may never say it again. Tell her to call me" he said, walking away. Carisi shook his head. Maybe after this case they could stop being blind.


	3. Small Revelations

The Barson Daily prompt for this week - photograph. And it will not get out of my brain.

* * *

 **Small Revelations**

You would think the revelation would have happened after some huge event. A near shooting. A horrible case when they had too many drinks and she lost some of her inhibitions with him. But not even the death of a squad member or a hostage situation or him almost being forced out of the job did it.

It was never that dramatic. All it took was a picture.

She was sitting at her desk, looking at the coverage their latest case had gotten in the paper. There was a picture, above the fold. Him, amidst a throng of reporters. Her, standing just off to his side. And she was looking at him. Olivia set the paper down and turned away but immediately turned right back, eyes wide. She made a small, strangled noise and Carisi looked up from his phone.

"Lieu?"

Olivia slowly picked up the paper and looked at the picture. Really looked at it. And what was there… well, she couldn't deny it any longer since all of the Post subscribers were looking at the same picture too.

"Lieu? You ok?"

"I love him" she said softly, unable to tear her eyes away from the picture. Carisi had to stifle a laugh. "Yeah, boss. We know." She looked up at him and was out the door before he even knew what had happened.

She blew right past Carmen and into his office, where she found him looking at the same paper, the same picture she had been just a few blocks away. He looked up at her and smiled. "I think we may need to finally have that talk."


	4. Princess Cut

Weekly The Barson Daily fic prompt on Tumblr: **Ring**

* * *

He was trying to talk to her about the trial, but she was not listening. He stopped and looked at her as she shoved her left arm behind her back, under her legs, making sure it's kept out of site.

"Ok, Liv. Something happen to your left arm?"

"What?" she squeaked out. "What? No. It just… I am trying to…" she sighed and pulled her arm out from behind her back, resting it on the table. And in that moment, he stopped breathing. That huge… thing… on her left finger…

"… and it got stuck and if I destroy it then I have to… Barba?" He looked at her, eyes wide, color drained from his face.

"Barba? You ok?"

"What… what is…"

"Were you not listening? There's a big undercover op happening next week with like 3 different departments and I need to wear all this gaudy costume jewelry and it got stuck on my finger…"

He collapsed in the chair, trying not to pass out. She watched him loosen his tie a bit and lean back, eyes closed. She got up and moved into the chair next to him. "Barba. Are you ok?"

He opened his eyes and looked at her. Hard. In a way he didn't normally look at her, especially in the office. She blushed a little, looking at the ring on her finger. "It's just a piece of costume jewelry. It's not like there's anyone…"

"I always took you more for a princess cut type of girl anyway". Her eyes shot up to his and he smirked at her. "Not that I've given it much thought."


	5. Water Ring

Prompt from The Barson Daily on Tumblr: **Ring**

Post Ep: Motherly Love. Barba asked her to get a drink with him. She said she just wanted to go home to Noah.

* * *

He was sitting at the end of the bar, staring at the water ring his drink left on the wood when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He smiled at her name on his phone.

"You get home before Noah went to sleep?"

"I did. We ate ice cream for dinner and watched TV way past his bedtime. It was just what I needed."

"I'm glad, Liv. Really." He ran his fingers through the water on the bar, around and around and around.

"Are you out?"

"Yeah. I needed that drink and the thought of my quiet apartment… well, that wasn't what I wanted tonight."

"I'm sorry I didn't go with you. I just…"

"Olivia, never apologize for wanting to be with Noah. Ever. Not to me at least. There's no needed." The bartender came over to wipe up the water in front of him, but Barba waved him off.

"I really wanted to say yes" she said, quietly. He smiled, moving the water around and around on the bar.

"That helps my bruised ego. Thanks." She laughed. "I didn't realize that Rafael Barba's ego was so easily bruised."

"What can I say? I'm a man of many layers." She laughed an honest to god laugh. After the Keller case, it felt amazing to hear it and to know he was the one that brought that out in her made him smile.

"I'm going to head home, Liv. I'll see you tomorrow."

"If you ask me tomorrow, I'll say yes". He froze, his finger stopping the motion it had been making. "Well, that's good to know. Get some sleep." He disconnected the call, finished his drink, wiping away the ring on the bar.


	6. Wring your neck

This one is for barsonaddict and the idea of "fast forwarding" to the next night. Follow up to Water Ring (chapter 5)

* * *

She leaned against his door jam, looking at him, hard at work, scribbling away on his note pad, looking back and forth between that and his case files. She narrowed her eyes at him. They had spoken throughout the day. They had bantered, laughed. She felt like they were finally them again for the first time in a long. Yet she waited… waited for the invite. She felt like it was following her around all day and yet he seemed to have forgotten all about it.

"Can I help you Olivia?" She glared at him. He didn't even look up from his writing. She huffed at him and crossed her arms and she could see the smirk slowly work it's away across his face. He finally finished writing his sentence and looked at her, pushing back so he could kick his feet up on his desk. Him and those stupidly adorable patterned socks.

"I'm getting ready to head home. I just wanted to check…" she trailed off, giving him an opening. Yet he just smirked at her, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yes?"

She narrowed her eyes at him again and he started laughing. "You're an ass." He nodded and pushed himself away from his desk, starting to gather his things. "You look parched, Olivia. Like you really need a drink."

"I'm going to wring your neck" she said, laughing as he turned off the lights in his office.

"Can I buy you a drink, Lieutenant?"

"Thought you would never ask, Counselor."


	7. Wedding Ring

The Barson Daily Prompt: **Ring**

Follow up to chapter 3 - Small Revelations. Thanks for the guest reviewer who asked if that particular drabble would continue.

* * *

Even off work, a world away from New York, he was still up with the sun. He sat down on the deck, looking at the ocean as the sun came up, drinking his coffee, fiddling with the newly placed ring on his left hand. How the last 6 months had changed his life.

He remembers sitting in his office, looking at that picture in the paper, looking at the image of her looking at him. But it was the look she was giving him. If he had known THAT is how she was looking at him, the papers would have had a much different picture to print that day. Then she blew into his office, wild and gorgeous, that same look on her face. That talk they finally needed to have was little more than her saying she loved him before launching herself at him. He didn't even have time to get out of his chair. She just collapsed on him, kissing him, whispering things to him he never thought he would hear from her – apologies for the wasted time, the hurt she had put him through, promises to never ever make him feel like that again. He kissed those words away one by one. There in his office, in the elevator on the way out of the building, that night in the darkness of her bedroom after they had put Noah to bed, the next morning as she questioned if he was sure.

He felt her sit down beside him. He leaned back, pulling her into his side. She ran her left hand up his face, turning her into him, meeting his lips with her own, as he felt her own ring rest on the side of his face. Forever.


	8. Doorbell

The Barson Daily prompt: **ring**

* * *

She was only going to ring the bell one more time before she got out her key to go in. She pushed the bell one last time and started digging in her purse of the key to his front door when he through it open, looking disheveled and a little out of breath.

"Mom" he said, glancing over his shoulder.

"It's about time" she said, starting to push her way in when she felt him hold the door, keeping her out. She glanced at him and nodded.

"No need for words, Rafi. You aren't alone. Just take these leftovers and I'll be on my way."

His eyes got wide but he took the bag from her. He couldn't lie to her. She's the only one his smart mouth never worked on.

"Thanks, mom. I'll call you later." She rested her hand on the door, narrowing her eyes at him. "Olivia?" His eyes got wide and his mouth fell open. She smiled and nodded slightly. "Well, tell her I said hello. Maybe the three of us can get lunch next week."

He dropped the bag on his counter and headed back to his bedroom where she sat, back against his headboard, comforter pulled up over her chest, hair wild, face laughing. He rolled his eyes and pulled his shirt over his head, crawling back up to her.

"Mom knows you're here. You better get ready for the most intense lunch of your life next week" he said, kissing her hard.


	9. She did not expect that

The Barson Daily Prompt (week of 5/22) - **expectation**

My cover for this story is the picture which inspired this drabble.

* * *

When she picked him up for the trip to question their current witness, she expected it to be by the book. Nothing out of the norm. She would do her thing, he would do his and they would argue about whatever and get to work.

What she didn't expect was to have him make a joke and smile, laughing over coffee with the witness. She had been nervous, not wanting to get involved so he cracked a joke to ease the tension. And it worked. All she could do was look at him. Really look at him. And see that he was more than the bravado he put on in public. He could be relaxed and comforting. He could disarm a person with his smile and use his words to put others at ease. Lord knows he had done that for her more time than she could count at this point.

She didn't expect that this was the moment that she would want to kiss him senseless. To make him see that he was more to her than just warrants and someone who helped her put away the bad guys. He was cemented in her life. He made her smile. Just the thought of him could lighten her mood. Knowing he was there, having her back – it was all she needed.

That realization had been at the back of her brain for some time now. But she didn't expect to have it hit her with such a force in this moment.


	10. He did not expect that

The Barson Daily Prompt on Tumblr: **Expectation**

* * *

On a case like this, he expected the stress. The migraines. The tension in his shoulders and neck. The barrage of phone calls and emails about this, that and the other. He hung up the phone, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers. He pushed himself out of his chair, pacing his office for a few minutes before hearing a light knock on his door. He leaned back against the front of his desk, crossing his arms as she pushed open his door.

"As bad for you as it is for me?" He just nodded, sighing and closing his eyes, bowing his head slightly. He expected her strong words, her reassurance, her strength in her voice. What he got instead was the feel of her hands on his arms, pulling them apart and her falling against him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. The fight was gone for the moment, so he wrapped his arms around her waist, sighing lightly as he rested his chin on her shoulder. The scent from her hair wrapped around him and he felt some tension leave his body. Olivia. " _My Olivia"_ he thought as he tightened his arms around her, leaning back a bit more, taking on more of her weight against him. He smiled, probably for the first time in 2 or 3 days, when he felt her sigh against this ear.

"We've got this" she whispered to him. We. Them together, as a unit. What everyone expected them to be.


	11. Power

The Barson Daily prompt for the week - **Energy**

* * *

He felt like he was buzzing. He had put on a hell of a case. Him and Olivia had been simpatico from the first report. On the same page. Same thoughts, same ideas, same smiles when everything fell into place. His crosses were on point. Every time he shot a hole in the defense, he would get a dazzling smile from her, one he hadn't seen in quite some time.

The jury came back guilty and the look that they shared crackled with more energy than he had ever felt before. He got stopped by reporters before he could get out of the courtroom and he lost track of her in the crowd. This was a big case, a big win.

He went back to his office to drop off some files and he was going to all but drag her out for a celebratory cocktail this time. But there she stood, leaning against his desk.

"Nice win, Counselor" she said, a little more sultry than he was used to from her. He could not take his eyes off of her, the spark between them popping with intensity. He threw his briefcase on his couch and crossed the room, grabbing her face and assaulting her lips with his before he had a chance to breathe. The power he gave her was only intensified when she swiped her tongue over his lips.

"Drinks?" he gasped out when he pulled back.

"Yes. At my apartment. Preferably in my bed with little to no clothing". His smile could have powered his entire office.


	12. Surrender to your feelings

The Barson Daily prompt: **Surrender**

* * *

So this is what it felt like to surrender to your feelings, she thought as she watched him walk into the bar, looking for her. She had fought for so long and fought so hard and she found herself wondering why when their eyes met and he gave her a slight wave, unbuttoning his jacket as he made his way to the table.

She felt free, knowing that she was about to give herself completely to him. They had been circling each other for weeks, months, years and she was just so tired. Tired of thinking about him but not being with him. Tired of having to avert her gaze when he would catch her staring at him. It was exhausting and she had decided that when she had asked him to meet her she was just going to surrender. To give up. And it felt amazing.

He dropped his jacket into the seat across from her. "Can you come sit by me for a minute?" she asked quietly. He looked at her and nodded, sliding into the booth next to her. His scent and his warmth were almost too much to bear. He turned toward her, one arm on the table, one across the back of the seat. She glanced around for a moment, but found she didn't care who was there.

"Liv?" he whispered. He was about to ask a question, when she leaned in, pressing her lips to his. She thought she had made a mistake, but then he surrendered to her, lips moving against hers, hand delving into her hair.


	13. Surrender your thoughts

The Barson Daily prompt: **surrender**

* * *

He could tell something was different. It was in the tone of her voice when she called and asked him to meet her for a drink or two. He could just feel that something in her had shifted, had turned. When he walked in and saw her sitting there with a look on her face he had never seen before so publicly, it brought up a feeling in him he had worked very hard to beat down. Till this moment. He crossed to her, shucking off his jacket and dropping it into his seat.

"Can you come sit by me for a minute?" He couldn't have denied her request, even if he had wanted to. Not with her looking at him like that. Bringing out feelings in him he didn't think he would every truly get to feel for her. He said her name, a question in his brain, but before he could get the words to his lips, her mouth was on his. He ran his hand into her hair, pulling her closer, feeling euphoria at the way her lips moved against his. She pulled back, resting her hand on his cheek.

"Was that ok?" she asked quietly, rubbing her thumb lightly over his cheekbone.

"I have no words to accurately describe how that was more than ok, Liv" he replied, leaning his head to side and smiling at her. She turned into him more, scooting till she was almost in his lap and he wasn't sure he had ever felt freer in his life. So, he just surrendered to her, like he knew he always would.


	14. Surrender to the enemy

The Barson Daily prompt: **Surrender**

* * *

He found himself staring down the barrel of the gun, flat on his back, no choice but to surrender. He tried to put up a good fight. He ran and hid and tried to lose the guys who were hot on his heels, but in the end, they took him down. In the end, he found himself surrounded by the gang that had targeted him. He closed his eyes, raised his hands slightly and yelled "tell Olivia I love her" when he took two to the chest at point blank range.

He laid still as a dark shadow started to cover him. He opened one eye, seeing his assailant hovering over him.

"Mom says you are very dramatic."

"Noah, I thought we agreed that sometimes mom overstates things." Noah shrugged at him and took off, grabbing the two Nerf bullets that had fallen to his side. Rafael pushed himself off the ground, turning to see Olivia staring at him from the picnic table, arms crossed. He walked over, picking grass out of his hair and off his shoulder.

"I told you not to get into a Nerf fight with Noah and his friends from school. They are brutal." He slid in next to her on the bench, throwing his arm over her shoulder. "No kidding."

She glanced over and smiled. "I may have buried the lead. They always target the adults first. Why do you think the rest of us are sitting it out?"


	15. Unfair Advantage

The Barson Daily prompt of the week on Tumblr: **Suppress**

* * *

Now that they were… whatever they were… she couldn't take her eyes off of him. The way he moved around the precinct, gathering information, coming up with a game plan, barking order, rolling up his damn sleeves when she had told him, in a moment of weakness, what that did to her. He was making her work life difficult and she would swear, at one point, he winked at her, knowing exactly what he was doing.

She turned to her computer, tapping out email, trying her best to ignore him and do some actual police work when she felt him lean over her, hand resting on the back of her chair. She about to jumped out of her chair when she felt his thumb rub the middle of her back.

"Benson, I'm going to need to suppress those looks in the future if you don't want to give your squad a show" he whispered into her ear.

"Then I'm going to need you to be a little less… you" she replied, looking up at him, a fire in her eyes.

"I'm afraid it is impossible to suppress my delightful personality. I'm a gift" he said, smiling at her as she slapped him on the upper arm.


	16. Laughter

I love writing mundane moments for my favorite TV characters.

The Barson Daily prompt of the week from Tumblr: **Suppress**

* * *

A string of loud and unintelligible Spanish from the kitchen brought Olivia and Noah running out of their rooms. They both skidded to a stop and looked at him, standing there, frozen.

"Don't. Start." He said very firmly, glaring at both of them. Olivia felt Noah start to shake a little bit next to her as she pressed her lips very firmly together, pulling him into her legs. She stared at the floor for a moment, trying to compose herself and suppress the laughter bubbling up in her. She took a deep breath and looked up at him, still frozen in the kitchen.

"So…"

"There was a stray matchbox car in the middle of the kitchen that I didn't see."

"So, what's dripping down the front of your shirt is…"

"Pancake batter."

"And your sleeve is…"

"My coffee."

"Ok then" she said, pressing her lips back together, looking at the ceiling. She was holding it together. Noah, unfortunately, was not, but at least he was muffling his laughter into her legs.

Barba walked slowly past them, their breakfast dripping down his sleeve and tie. One of her favorites. She hoped the cleaners could do something with it. "I'm going to go change. Promise me you will wait for me close the bedroom door before completely losing it."

She looked over at him. "Promise" she croaked out, needing him to get a move on. As soon as the door closed, she laughed until she cried as her and Noah did their best to put the kitchen back together. Noah decided to hide the offending car in a safe space in his room.


	17. Change of Seasons

The Barson Daily prompt of the week from Tumblr: **fall**

I love fall. Not only is my birthday in the fall, but I love hoodies and sweaters and leggings and boots. Fall kicks ass.

* * *

Fall is his favorite season. After the heat of summer (and the muggy rain like they had had this year), the crisp air and the cooler temperatures gave him a new lease on life. Not that he could fault the rainy summer. It was a rainy night, under his umbrella, when she kissed him. It was during a stretch of thunderstorm filled days and nights that they finally said I love you to each other. The summer had its perks.

But here, in the fall, with the leaves changing and the cooler temperatures, he got to watch her zip up the sexy new boots she had let him talk her into. The dark yellow sweater that made her eyes seem browner, which he didn't know as possible. The ease at which she walked along the path in the park, one hand in Noah's, the other wrapped around his arm, the leaves changing colors and falling around them.

He could always find a new lease on life as the fall started to descend on them. And this fall was no different. He spied Carisi, hiding in the designated spot they had agreed on, camera hanging around his neck, ready to go. He gave the man a slight nod and asked Olivia and Noah to sit on the bench, fingering the velvet ring box in his pocket. The way the waning sun bounced off her hair and her tear-filled eyes as they both said yes to him cemented his love for fall. The cool breeze wrapped around them as he kissed her passionately, there in the park, as their friends joined them in celebration. He would have to insist on a fall wedding.


	18. Falling Slowly

The Barson Daily prompt of the week: **fall**

* * *

She expected the fall to be hard. It had been that way all the times before. She would meet a guy, fall hard, burn fast, flame out. She just assumed it was the way she was wired. That she went hard and fast and if the guy couldn't handle it, they would get out as soon as they could. And they did. Every time.

So, that's why when she watched him on this day, stalking around the courtroom, doing his job is spectacular fashion, she realized she had fallen. Hard. But it had been a slow fall. It had happened over drinks and paperwork and motions and fights and not speaking and long glances. That realization did hit her like a ton of bricks. It was like the fog cleared and she realized that she had been in love with him for so long, she didn't remember a time before.

The fall was slow, but it sunk her deep. Deeper than she had ever been before. She wasn't sure how she continued to function after realizing how far down she was until, one night, as they were leaving Forlini's, she let all the words fall out of her mouth. She couldn't stop them.

And what she had missed in all her reflection that he had fallen just as deep. But she did realize it, finally, when he grabbed her hands, pulling her arms around his waist, framing her face with his gentle hands and kissing her slowly, but thoroughly, showing her that just when she thought she had fallen as far as she could, there was still much further to go.


	19. Confessions

It's catch up time over at The Barson Daily.

Catch up prompt: **bruise**

* * *

"What the hell, Liv?" She turned and looked at him but he was staring at her bare arm. The arm she had forgotten about as she took off her jacket on this warm day.

"Barba, it's…"

He held up his hand. "Don't. Don't tell me it's nothing. This is like the third or fourth time in the last couple of months you've had bruises and I'm done. I'm slapping assault of a police officer on to whoever did this. Tell me now." She stared at him as he went about his rant, picking up his pen and legal pad, waiting for her to respond.

She just nodded and collapsed in the chair. "You're right. It's time. I've taken about all I can take from this guy."

He came around and sat next to her. "Good. You don't have to always be the hero, Liv."

"I know. OK. You ready? I'll tell you everything." He stared at her intensely. She sighed. "It's actually not a perp at all. It's someone… well, someone I'm close to. It feels good to get this off my chest." She watched the anger flare up on his face and had to stifle a smile.

"He always apologizes, though. Every kick and hit and bite is always follow up with tears and an apology and puppy dog eyes and hugs. And I always forgive him. Every. Single. Time. But you're right. Enough is enough."

He rolled his eyes and threw his pen at her. "Damn, Liv. All you had to say was Noah was still having those fits."

"Yeah, but this was more fun."

"For who?"

"Me. You have to find the humor when a 4 year old wrecking ball takes his anger out on you."


	20. 31 Flavors and Then Some

The Barson Daily Prompt catch up from Tumblr: **choices**

* * *

She just stood there, frozen. Looking back and forth between the two. How was she supposed to choose? One was reliable, there for her whenever needed. Always able to give her comfort and pleasure with a snap of her fingers. But the other… the other was new. Made her feel a little naughty. Like she was a different person. She just looked back and forth between the two. Choosing between one that she knew she could rely on, that would be there for her no matter what, that always had her back and other, who intrigued her every time she had a chance to be there. That made her feel saucy versus the one who made her feel like home. What was she supposed to do? How could anyone ever choose between the two?

He groaned next to her, rolling his eyes.

"I so regret ever introducing you to Mocha Chip" he said, shaking his head at her.

"Raf, really… which one? The Mocha or the regular chip?"

"It's ice cream, Liv. I'll buy you both if we can just get out of this blasted store!"

"I don't need both."

He smiled and leaned in, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "It's a good thing you are beautiful and good in bed and that I love you cause this crisis of conscience every time you come to choose a pint of ice cream is going to be the death of me."


	21. Little Secrets

The Barson Daily Prompt of the Week catch up on Tumblr: **secret**

* * *

"What's this about" Judge Barth asked as they entered her chambers, Barba shutting the door behind them. The defense attorney, who Barba had never encountered before mostly because he smelled like he was fresh out of school, smirked at him and then turned toward Barth.

"Your Honor, I'm asking that the case be dismissed due to improper relations between the ADA and the Lieutenant who runs SVU." Barth sighed at him and he looked at Barba, who was glaring at him through narrowed eyes.

"You better have some good reasoning, counselor."

"Your Honor, it has just come to my attention that ADA Barba and the Lieutenant have been engaging in an illicit affair and I feel they have been colluding to wrongly imprison my client."

They both heard Barba sigh loudly and dig into his briefcase. "I told her it wouldn't stay a secret forever." He produced a piece of paper, handing it to the defense, who upon reading looked like he had swallowed his tongue.

"May I see that?" Barth asked. Barba took the paper from the attorney and handed it to the judge. She quickly read it and smiled, looking up at Barba and handing him the paper back.

"You always keep this on you, Counselor?"

"I do. I told her we needed to tell people but you know her."

"I do. Tell Benson I said congratulations on your nuptials and please tell her I need her to teach me your ninja ways. Almost a year of marriage and this is the first time it's come out?" Barba nodded.

"You two are very good. Motion denied. See you all back in there after lunch."


	22. Surprise

The Barson Daily Prompt of the Week from Tumblr: **arouse**

* * *

She tiptoed through the apartment, trying not to arouse suspicion. She used all her training to stealthily move from the living room to the kitchen and back again. She tapped into her memory to remember where the floor creaked and groaned when stepped on. She slowly opened cabinets, taking what she needed piece by piece, doing her best not to turn on any lights or create too much noise. She smiled to herself as she retrieved the last of what she needed, proud she had been able to do it so quietly.

He rolled his eyes and flipped the switch, bathing the kitchen in light. He at least had the common decency to wait till she had placed the stack of plates on the counter before scaring the living daylights out of her. He smiled into his coffee as she jumped, yelping loudly.

"I know you like to think you are a ninja, Liv, but you walk everywhere like a cop getting ready to bust into a drug den."

She glared at him. "I hate you. How? How do you manage to walk around like a ghost? I didn't even hear you get up!"

He glanced at the plates and then back at her. "What are you even doing?"

She sighed, pushing her hair out of her face. "I was TRYING to surprise you with breakfast on your birthday! You are kind of the worst."

He laughed and walked over to her, dropping a kiss on her cheek. "I love you for trying Liv. Maybe next time."


	23. Stolen Kisses

The Barson Daily prompt of the week from Tumblr: **habit**

* * *

It was a bad habit they had fallen in to. It started because she just needed him to shut his mouth for a minute so she could think. But Barba being Barba, he was pacing and ranting and she just didn't think. So, she grabbed him and kissed him. They quickly apologized for the first kiss before stealing a second.

He once pulled her into a dark hallway in the precinct and kissed her breathless. That one was on him. Not that she resisted. She pretty much did the same thing the next night in his office.

There was the night she stole one as Noah walked in the room when they thought he was asleep.

There was the day he stole one in an empty courtroom, only to have Rita eyeing them from the entrance when they broke apart. He was definitely winning in the stolen kisses department, that is for sure. He had become a pro.

She tried to play catch up, stealing a kiss from him in front of a restaurant one night, failing to remember they were meeting Lucia for their first official dinner as a couple. 3 months after that first stolen kiss. They had several other habits they had to break first. This habit seemed to have fallen to the bottom of the list of habits to break. Only one ever made her blush – the one he stole from her outside Dodds' office after they had submitted the paperwork. He opened the door and had to clear his throat before they broke apart.

He smiled widely at her, in her cream dress and him in his tux, as he leaned in to steal a kiss as she met him at the altar.

"This stolen kisses thing has got to end, Raf."

"Never, Liv. Never."


	24. Eclipse

Inspired by:  
1) amagicalshipper over on Tumblr begging someone to write a Barson eclipse story for today  
and  
2) The Barson Daily prompt of the week on Tumblr: **sudden**

I may also be channeling some of my eclipse fatigue through Barba and I'm glad it's over but I'm also glad I lived nowhere near one of the main spots that got totally dark, like my old stomping grounds of Nashville or Bowling Green, KY.

* * *

Eclipse fatigue. It was a real thing as he rolled his eyes walking from the coffee cart back to his office. Everywhere people were talking about the best place to watch and did you have your approved glasses. Schools closing and people telling everyone about that one person they knew who went blind after looking at an eclipse without the glasses on. He laughed as he sat down at his desk. At least it would be quiet around here for about an hour. Till his phone buzzed.

 _Olivia: Lucy is bringing Noah over with lunch. He wants to know if you will watch the eclipse with him._

He sighed. There went his hour. Because more time was being spent with the Benson family and he struggled to say no to any Noah request. So, he found himself standing on the roof of the 1-6, in his suit at 230 in the afternoon, wincing at the sky.

Carisi looked foolish with those glasses on, but he would admit to no one else, when Noah let him borrow his for a moment, it was cool to see what was happening way above their heads.

The world darkened for 2 minutes. Everyone was staring up, but he ended up locking eyes with the woman standing very close to his side, her son standing in front of them. The sudden realization on her face made him smile.

"Thanks for coming over. I know you think this is silly" she whispered to him. The sudden way his heart started hammering in his chest wasn't anything new. But the way they locked eyes and didn't break was.

"This is so cool! Mommy, do you see it?" Noah yelled, pointing at the sky.

"I think I do" she said, staring at him, lacing her fingers through his.


	25. Fright Night

The Barson Daily prompt of the week from Tumblr: **Frighten**

* * *

Rafael Barba didn't get frightened very often. It just wasn't part of who he is. But he rounded the corner, heading toward Olivia's to go over some paperwork when he saw the fire trucks. He stopped dead in his tracks. Dozens of fire trucks. Smoke. Ambulances. The smell of burnt everything. Fear took over him.

He pushed his way through the crowd, looking past the police tape, about to pull out his DA badge when he saw her.

"OLIVIA!" he yelled and she turned toward him. He could tell they had been prepping for bed. Noah, in his PJs, clutching the dinosaur he had bought him last month. Liv, in her yoga pants and t-shirt. Neither in shoes. Both shivering.

Procedure be damned, he lifted the tape and moved toward them. He yanked off his suit jacket and immediately draped it over Olivia and Noah, doing his best to give them some warmth on this chilly fall night. Noah reached for him and Barba took him without a second thought.

"I'm going to kill whoever decided to start a fire without making sure the flue was open first" she said, pulling his jacket tight around him. "It's going to be hours before we can get back in."

"Well, then it's a good thing Lucia Barba always taught me to have the guest room made up, just in case. Let's go." He wrapped his free arm around her waist, smiling internally as she leaned into his touch.

"You sure?"

"Liv, let's just say it may be awhile before I can let you two out of my sight again. I don't like being scared like that. Let's get this guy some sleep, ok?" She nodded and followed his lead, glad to have someone to help take the fright away tonight.


	26. Wicked Chatter

The Barson Daily prompt of the week from Tumblr: **Wicked**

* * *

His phone rang as he walked through his front door. He didn't even glance at the screen as he answered.

"Barba".

"Oh now come on, Rafa…" he smiled, leaning against his door frame.

"Well, good evening Lieutenant. Can I help you with something?"

"That's a wicked question, Counselor."

"And you slipped in front of the squad today."

"Did I?"

He shook his head, wishing he could see the smirk he knew was on her face right now. "Why, Olivia… whatever am I going to do with you?"

"Why don't you come over so we can talk more about it? I got your favorite scotch on my way home and I just put Noah in bed."

"Give me ten minutes to change and I'm on my way."

"Don't bother changing. I think we both know what's going to happen to your clothes when you get here."

He pulled the door shut behind him, moving quickly toward the elevator.

"You sure are in a saucy mood tonight."

"Apparently you saying something ridiculous like 'yummy' is a crazy turn on for me. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it."

"I'll be there in 15 minutes."

"I'll be waiting."


	27. Over Lunch

The Barson Daily Prompt of the week from Tumblr: **leaves**

I head cannoned on Tumblr yesterday about what I thought happened right before the scene in Olivia's office. For some reason, the image just flew into my head and I had to write it out. This is right before the line about it being consent and him joking about giving Carisi a few months off to write a law review article.

* * *

"Thank God! Look…" Barba held up his hand as she started to throw words at him. He shut the door and set the bags down on her table in front of the couch.

"No, Liv. No. We are taking a half hour to eat the sandwiches Carmen spent several minutes ordering for us. No work talk. Now get over here." She sighed, pushing out of her chair and sitting down next to him on the couch. He got the food out and set it up, smiling at her. He could see it there, simmering beneath the surface. She opened her mouth and he held up his hand.

"I think we should drive upstate this weekend to show Noah the leaves changing. I can even use this fancy camera on my new phone to get some good pictures of him." He could see her give up and for 30 minutes, they were just Rafael and Olivia, a couple having lunch together. They talked about where to go to see the best leaves, maybe finding some great place to have a picnic, how she wanted him to stay over and how he quickly agreed before she had a chance to finish the sentence.

The quick lunch ended as he glanced at his watch, sighing. He cleaned up as she went back to her desk, sitting down, putting her glasses back on. Back to being the ADA and Lieutenant. He sat down on her couch, motioning at her to start talking.

"How is it consent when…"


	28. Thankful

The Barson Daily Tumblr prompt of the week: **Thankful**

* * *

She smiled at the laughter coming from the table, feeling the warmth of her full apartment and some of the wine her guests had brought over. It had been so long, so many holidays spent, just the two of them. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to have a table full of people who laughed and loved and just wanted to be together. She wasn't sure if she would ever get to experience that again and had resigned herself to the fact that she may not. She surrounded herself with work and people who she thought really needed her. And then these people appeared in her life, making her realize there was more out there. She had spent so long hoping, and then seemed to have spent even longer not hoping, she had almost forgotten.

She missed him sliding up next to her, an arm thrown over her shoulder. She looked at her son, smiling brightly at him.

"Mom, you better get back over there before Noah eats all the pumpkin pie" Rafael said, dragging his mom back to the table.

"Let the boy eat!" she proclaimed, dropping into her seat next to him, being glad there was a little boy to hand her piece of pumpkin pie over to.

"Lucia, that's his third piece!" Olivia exclaimed from across the table.

"What's Thanksgiving if we can't indulge a little, Liv?" she asked. Olivia just shook her head at the woman, but Lucia Barba didn't care. Her small living room was full and more than anything, she was thankful for the matching bands on Olivia and Rafael's left ring finger.


	29. New Year

The Barson Daily Prompt of the Week: **Resolution**

* * *

She set out the new calendar, taking a sip of her coffee, looking at the date. January 1. A new year. A new start, or so she guessed. She was never one for resolutions. Ever. Like she had the time. And what was she supposed to do?

 _Work out more?_ Please. All the running and walking and her weekly yoga was more than some people did in a month.

 _Get out of debt?_ When you have no time to have a life, what debt could you possibly incur?

 _Eat better?_ She laughed. She wishes she had more time to cook!

 _Date and maybe get a life outside of work?_ That one made her pause. She grabbed her phone, scrolling down to the last messages they had exchanged, wishing each other a Merry Christmas a week ago. His mother had begged, pleaded, threatened him into taking some time off so they could visit family together. So, he did. He got back late last night, or so she had assumed. That is what he had told her prior to his leave – his flight got in from Miami on the 31st in the afternoon, sometime.

Barba not being around for the week gave her time to think. About him. Them. Life outside of work. She glanced at the calendar one last time. _Maybe one small resolution_ she thought to herself, tying out a message to him.

 ** _Have dinner with me tonight._**

And his response less than a minute later…

 ** _I would love to._**


End file.
